National Football League News and Rumors

NY Giants in need of motivation heading into Sunday's game against the lowly Cleveland Browns

The Giants are not very good at the regular season. They struggle against lesser teams and find many ways to drop winnable games against the Eagles. Eli Manning would be far better off if he could just fast-forward to the playoffs and put on his road wa…

In early 2011, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler absorbed plenty of criticism after tapping out of the NFC title game with a knee injury. The naysayers were legitimized by Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who openly questioned Cutler’s toughness on

So why hasn’t defensive end Mario Williams done much during his first four games in Buffalo? He says he’s got an injury. “It’s just a little deal going on, but we’ve already mentioned that before,” Williams said Wednesday, via USA Today. â

After the Jets confirmed that veteran receiver Santonio Holmes is done for the season, coach Rex Ryan got the inevitable question about whether his replacement could be Plaxico Burress. But Ryan said the Jets are going in a different direction. Although…

Report: Woody Johnson eventually will push for Tebow

The Jets have dominated the news in recent days, and not for good reasons. It will continue, and not for good reasons. Eventually, it will result in the news that Tim Tebow is the quarterback. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com recently reported that two pe…

Earlier this year, it seemed likely that the UFL was done. Now that a new season has begun, it’s death seems to be virtually certain. Players and coaches aren’t getting paid, as explained by the Virginian-Pilot. Said UFL president and Virginia Des

Process vs. outcome, and why metrics can’t make it on fourth down

"You can say a lot of things about me as a coach, okay? I'm sure you do, and so do a lot of other people. But I'm just telling you something -- one thing I'm not, is scared. Are we gonna go for it on fourth down every time we have it at our own 20-…

The good news for Dolphins running back Reggie Bush is that his knee injury has healed to the point where it doesn’t show up on the injury report. The bad news for Dolphins running back Reggie Bush is that he now has a hip injury. Bush was limited in pr

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Josh Cribbs opened his eyes and was surprised to see his teammates huddling around him on their knees. He got up and was approached by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, who shook Cribbs' hand.

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has concerns about getting to Titans quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck, given his ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Making it even harder for Allen to get to Hasselbeck on Sunday could be a groin injury that hampere…

Nike's New NFL Uniforms Are Too Damn Tight: "It Looks Like You Ate A Small Baby"

It's got to be tough for NFL offensive linemen, whose entire vocation, at least more than any other position on the field, is dependent on how much they weigh. If you're skinny, you won't ever be an offensive lineman. It's their duty to stay as large as…

Dennis Allen explains why he was smiling after Raiders lost

Oakland coach Dennis Allen grinned as he shook the hand of Denver coach John Fox following the Broncos’ 37-6 beatdown of the Raiders on Sunday, and some Raiders fans have complained that it looked like their coach wasn’t taking the loss as hard as he

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this week that wide receiver Greg Jennings aggravated his groin injury in last Sunday’s win over the Saints and suggested that Jennings might be shut down for a week so that he could fully heal before returning t

The Patriots have a lengthy injury list as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. The most significant injury to keep an eye on is the hip injury that has been hampering Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who sat out practice today. The Pat

Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams expected to get a fine for a hit on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Sunday’s game. That doesn’t mean he was happy to find the letter informing him of the fine in his locker on Wednesday. Williams drew a flag for

New Jets cornerback Aaron Berry said after he signed this week that he knows he’s working on his last chance in the NFL after the Lions dumped him this summer for getting arrested twice. But Berry says that if there’s a coach willing to give second ch

LeSean McCoy Sort Of Confirms That He Says His Last Name While Juking People

On Monday, we brought you the story of Eagles running back LeSean McCoy's supposed catch phrase. Today, we received an email from Robert Edwards of the Gloucester County Times that adds a bit more credence to the story: More »

Wes Welker And Deion Branch Were The "Bitches" Who Caught Tom Brady's Ire Last Sunday

Tom Brady was involved in one of the best GIFs of Week 4 when he was caught on camera saying "Fuck you, bitches" after running for a four-yard touchdown. But no one was able to discern who the "bitches" were. The Buffalo Bills? The f…

If you’re looking for a debate this Wednesday, there’s no reason to wait until Wednesday night. The Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network crew will be kicking around plenty of the biggest topics of the day in football nation. Erik Kuselias, Mike Flo

Dan Snyder Used To Stay In The Owner's Box Until 4 a.m. "Pounding Drinks" And Stuffing His Face With Fast Food

ESPN the Magazine has a fun story out today about Dan Snyder and our old friend Dave McKenna. It presents a slightly friendlier portrait of Snyder than you might find on, say, Deadspin-where we've called Snyder a "prick" and a "churlish little shitbag v

Former NFL receiver Sam Hurd pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new indictment accusing him of trying to obtain cocaine and marijuana while he was out on bond awaiting trial on charges of trying to start a drug ring in the Chicago area.

The Bengals are starting to look healthier at cornerback after facing the Jaguars with just three healthy bodies at the position. Leon Hall practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring during a September practice and Nate Cleme…

Dear Running Doc: The New York Jets announced Wednesday that Santonio Holmes, their best wide receiver, suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot, yet X-rays were negative. They said he would be out for the season. What is this injury? Paul F., Garden City…

NFL cleans up during “premiere week”

With a new season of TV shows debuting last week, the NFL continues to prove that nothing brings an audience together like the ultimate reality show: Live professional football. A pair of NFL games got the highest ratings last week, with Giants-Eagles …

Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice said he had no problems with quarterback Jay Cutler walking away from him during Monday’s win over the Cowboys. Tice seemed no more bothered by Cutler’s continued churlishness than Bears fans who are willing to ov

Week Four coaching hot seat

It’s an undeniable reality of life in the NFL. At the end of the year, there will be bad teams. And some of their coaches will be fired. Until then, we’ll monitor those who should be monitoring whether the locks get changed on December 31, the day

LaFell says Panthers should have gone for it

Plenty of folks have questioned the decision of the Panthers to punt inside Atlanta territory with the game on the line. Add Panthers receiver Brandon LaFell to the list. “It’s fourth and inches, we’ve got Mike Tolbert, we’ve got Jonathan Stewar

The Eagles came out of Sunday night with a few injury concerns, but they all seem to be well under control. Quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeSean McCoy and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha all practiced on Wednesday. Vick suffered a knee contusion lat…

Cam Newton adds flash to already flashy pink shoes

There are fashion statements, and there are statements. With the NFL allowing players to wear pink during games this month to promote breast cancer awareness, you find out a little color goes a long way. But check out the shoes Panthers quarterback Cam …

The NFL announced Wednesday that Chargers linebacker Donald Butler received AFC defensive player of the week honors for making six tackles, a half-sack, and returning an interception for a touchdown in San Diego’s Week Four win over the Kansas City Chie

The Texans are more willing to go with two quarterbacks than three safeties. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have waived quarterback John Beck so they could bring back safety Troy Nolan. The Texans needed Nolan again after…

NFL may need to move Raiders-Jaguars game on Oct. 21

There’s only one stadium still in use by teams from both Major League Baseball and the National Football League, but one is all you need to create a scheduling problem. The league could be dealing with one in a couple of weeks. Should the Oakland A’s

This Rap Song About Seattle Sports Might Make Your Ears Bleed

Any rap song about Seattle, or so I'm told, has to include shoutouts to all the great Emerald City sports stars, and Riff Raff provides all of them: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and Brian Bosworth, with a Craig Sager reference throw…

Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick are two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the National Football League, and they will square off on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles renew their cross-state rivalry. Had Mike Tomlin gotten …

Aaron Kromer: We’re ready to bust out

It has not been an easy start for the Saints, but their interim head coach thinks things are about to get a lot better. Aaron Kromer believes his team is on the verge of busting out after an 0-4 start that some have attributed to the hangover from the t…

Perhaps there were times a painful bruised knee would have knocked Redskins left tackle out of a game. But he said Wednesday that he had to prove himself after last year’s drug suspension, and that led him to return. “That’s a driving force behind a

The Giants aren’t sure whether they’re going to have wide receiver Hakeem Nicks back in the lineup this week and now there’s a question mark next to the status of one of the guys who has put up good numbers filling in for him the last two weeks. Coa

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the lifeless, reeling New York Jets by a score of 34-0 in Week Four, and for his efforts in the game, Niners linebacker Patrick Willis earned NFC defensive player of the week honors. Willis racked up ten tackles against…

When the Lions return from their bye in Week Five, they could be bringing an old face back with them. Tim Twentyman of the Lions website passes along word that safety Louis Delmas was on the practice field with the rest of the team during the portion of…

Rams rookie placekicker Greg Zuerlein has been a sort of underground, early-season sensation. He’s been booming long kicks left and right, and along the way earned nicknames ranging from “Legatron” to “Young G.Z.” We like Young G.Z. the best. Fo

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was chosen as the NFC offensive player of the week after engineering Green Bay’s Week Four win over the New Orleans Saints, 28-27. The defending NFL Most Valuable Player completed 31-of-41 passes for 319 yards, four tou

To make up for the loss of Santonio Holmes, the Jets added receiver Jason Hill today, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. This is the same Jason Hill who called the Jets "overhyped" last season. More »

Surprise, surprise -- some of the NFL players you'd think would care the least about personal appearance actually do notice when you note, and they're not at all happy about the ways in which NIKE's new uniforms, introduced for the 2012 season, fit thei…

Marty Hurney say he has no contract, is on the hot seat

Despite high hopes for the 2012 season, the Carolina Panthers have plunged to 1-3. In Charlotte, G.M. Marty Hurney is catching most of the blame. He joined WFNZ’s Mac Attack on Wednesday morning to face the music. And Hurney didn’t run from realit

Broncos placekicker Matt Prater was awarded AFC special teams player of the week for Week Four after converting all three of his field-goal attempts and four extra points in Denver’s smashing, 37-6 blowout victory over the Oakland Raiders. Prater also p

David Wilson beginning to open eyes with return skills

Fumbling on his second professional carry cast David Wilson the trust of his coach, and it’s no accident he’s played only 14 offensive snaps in four games. But he’s starting to show the spark the Giants envisioned as a return man, and that could hel

Canadian won $725K after Seahawks' MNF win

Watching replacement officials botch the end of the infamous Packers-Seahawks Monday night game two weeks ago might have been torturous for Green Bay fans, but it was glorious for a Canadian man, who won a quarter of a million dollars thanks to the resu…

Tarvaris Jackson expected to remain No. 3 all season

When the Bills traded for quarterback Tarvaris Jackson this offseason, the assumption was that they felt a needed an upgrade over Tyler Thigpen and Vince Young at backup quarterback. That assumption might have been correct, but it doesn’t look like Jack

Cardinals quarterback John Skelton may not be back to 100 percent after suffering a Week One ankle injury, but he’s getting closer. Skelton fully participated in practice on Tuesday, two days before the team’s Week Five game against the Rams. Also ful

Joe Theismann might not care for the way Tony Romo is playing now. But the good news for Romo is, the man who signs his checks has his back. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said despite last week’s five-turnover disaster, he’s confident in his quarterback,

One of the great stories of the 2011 season has become an afterthought in 2012. Linebacker Aaron Maybin, a first-rounder whom the Bills dumped after only two seasons, became a key contributor in 2011 with the Jets. But the anti-Gholston, who had six sa…

There are times when controversies aren't all they're cracked up to be. Consider the case of New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker, who was allegedly being forced out of his team's offense early in the 2012 season. Fast-forward a few weeks, and you h…

With a short week before the Thursday night game against the Cardinals, there probably wasn’t too much hope that the Rams would have running back Steven Jackson doing much at practice this week. Even though he has been able to play in each of the team”

With the Jets losing receiver Santonio Holmes for the season, some have suggested that they should try to swing a trade with the team that helped bring Mark Sanchez to town three years ago. The Browns, whose top-five pick in 2009 resulted in the Jets la…

Two straight overtime losses aren’t a particularly good way of generating goodwill with your fan base, something Dolphins center Mike Pouncey seems to realize. Pouncey took the unusual step of issuing a public apology to Dolphins fans this week after lo

One of the top election-year social wedge issues has worked its way into the NFL, with Ravens teammates Brendon Ayanbadejo and Matt Birk publicly taking opposite stances on the issue of gay marriage. Ayanbadejo supports it. Birk recently wrote an op-ed…

Bobby Carpenter, a free agent linebacker who was released by the Patriots just before the start of the regular season, is heading back to New England. Tom Curran of CSNNE.com reports that the Patriots will re-sign Carpenter. The Patriots’ decision to si

Said Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski of his dropped pass and fumble early in Sunday’s game against the Bills, “I can’t be having that. It hurts the team a lot, I need to be protecting the ball better. No doubt about that. It’s awesome that Tom came bac

'Sound FX': Jets fall 34-0

Oct 3

The New York Jets suffered a big blow Sunday, losing wide receiver Santonio Holmes for the season and falling at home to the San Francisco 49ers. Listen to Jets head coach Rex Ryan during the team's loss.

04:12

'Sound FX': Aaron Rodgers

Oct 3

Take a listen as Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers leads the Packers to a comeback win over the New Orleans Saints.

04:29

'Sound FX': Coleman soars high

Oct 3

Checks out the sights and sounds of Philadelphia Eagles safety Kurt Coleman, who tries to play his best for Brian Dawkins.

Sports Columnists

Young defensive backs have made their marks

Oct 3

At the 2012 draft, wide receivers were the rage, but it's been the rookie DBs who have made a difference, writes John Clayton